modern aquarium december 2007
DESCRIPTION
Volume XIV Number 10TRANSCRIPT
modernAQUARIUM Series III Vol. XIV, No. 10 December, 2007
ON THE COVER
Project Piaba is working to conserve andmaintain the live ornamental fisheries andother renewable resources of the RioNegro in the Amazon Basin of Brazil at acommercially feasible and ecologicallysustainable level through the symbol ofhope that is featured on our cover, thecardinal tetra, Paracheirodon axelrodi. Inher final series installment in this issue,Claudia Dickinson reflects on the future ofthe Rio Negro.
Photo by Alexander Priest
GREATER CITY AQUARIUM SOCIETY
Board MembersPresident. . . . . . . . . . . . Joseph FerdenziVice-President. . . . . . . . Mark SobermanTreasurer. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Jack TraubCorres. Secretary. . . . . . Warren Feuer &
Sharon BarnettRecording Secretary.. . . . Edward Vukich
Members At LargePete D'Orio Jason KernerCarlotti De Jager Ben HausLeonard Ramroop Emma HausArtie Friedman
Committee ChairsBreeder Award. . . . . . Warren Feuer and
Mark SobermanEarly Arrivals. . . . . . . . . . . . . . Al GrusellF.A.A.S. Delegate.. . . . . Alexander PriestMembers/Programs. . Claudia DickinsonN.E.C. Delegate. . . . . Claudia Dickinson
MODERN AQUARIUMEditor in Chief. . . . . . Alexander A. PriestAssociate Editors. . . . . Susan Priest and
Claudia DickinsonCopy Editors. . . . . . . . . . . Sharon Barnett
Dan RadebaughExchange Editors. . . . Stephen Sica and
Donna Sosna SicaPhoto/Layout Editor. . . . . . Jason KernerAdvertising Mgr.. . . . . . . Mark SobermanExecutive Editor. . . . . . . Joseph Ferdenzi
F E A T U R E S
Editor’s Babblenest. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
President’s Message. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Our Generous Members. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Details. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Adventures on the Rio Negro - Part IV. . . . . . . . . . . . 6
GCAS Past Award Winners. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
GCAS 2007 Award Winners.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Fish Arrival. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Wet Leaves Special Edition - Part Three. . . . . . . . . 14
AFISH Convention 2007.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Last Month’s Bowl Show Winners. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Fishkeeper Anonymous.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Through The Lens. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Breeders Award Program 2007 Report. . . . . . . . . . 24
AFISH 2007 Memories. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Amusing Aquarium (cartoon).. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Wet Leaves Special Edition - Part Four.. . . . . . . . . . 30
A Paragon of the Aquarium Hobby. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Author Award Program 2007 Report. . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Editor Extraordinaire. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
Smart Fish, Dumb People. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
G.C.A.S. Happenings. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
Fin Fun (Puzzle Page). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
Articles submitted for consideration in MODERN AQUARIUM must be received no later than the 10th day of the month, three months priorto the month of publication. Copyright 2007 by the Greater City Aquarium Society Inc., a not-for-profit New York State corporation. All rightsreserved. Not-for-profit aquarium societies are hereby granted permission to reproduce articles and illustrations from this publication, unless thearticle indicates that the copyrights have been retained by the author, and provided reprints indicate source and two copies of the publication aresent to the Exchange Editor of this magazine. Any other reproduction or commercial use of the material in this publication is prohibited withoutexpress written prior permission.
The Greater City Aquarium Society meets every month, except during January and February. Members receive notice of meetings in the mail. For more information, contact: Joe Ferdenzi (516)484-0944. Find out more, or leave us a message, at our Internet Home Page at: http://www.greatercity.org or http://www.greatercity.com
The Editor’sBabblenest
by ALEXANDER A. PRIEST
“The report of my death is an exaggeration”
Samuel Langhorne Clemens (Mark Twain), 1897,
after a reporter was sent to investigate whether he
had died. (In fact it was his cousin who was
seriously ill.)
This is my last “Editor’s Babblenest.”
Whatever Dan Radebaugh decides to call his
editorial page (assuming that he even wants
to have an editorial page), I’m willing to bet it
won’t be “Babblenest.” Some of the articles in this
issue referring to me read
like a eulogy or obituary.
Just for the record, I am
n e i t h e r d e a d , n o r
“retired.” I will still be
c o m i n g t o G C A S
meetings (but not to
events that are nearly two
hours from my home; so
it’s unlikely that you’ll
see me at next year’s
N E C o r A F I S H
Convention). I will still be involved with Modern
Aquarium as a contributor and (to the extent that
Dan wishes) as a consultant.
I intend to devote more time to my fish.
Ironically, working on this magazine meant my
home aquariums were shortchanged in the care and
attention they received. I also need to do extensive
repairs and maintenance on the computer and
printers I have been using the last few years to
work on our magazine. Several boxes of
replacement parts for this purpose have been sitting
unopened for quite a while, because as soon as one
issue of the magazine is completed, work on the
next issue has to begin almost immediately.
As our new Editor, Dan is going to need
your help. He will need articles — a lot of
articles. This magazine was never my magazine,
and it is not going to be Dan’s magazine. It is
your magazine. Right now, it is probably the
single best monthly amateur aquarium society
publication in the country. I have seen GCAS
members who had other commitments on the
evening of one of our meetings come in, get their
issue, and then immediately leave. It is not the
Editor who inspires such devotion to our magazine,
it’s the original articles from our own members.
Please keep those articles coming!
Dan has told me that he will try to use the
same formats I have been using. I use
WordPerfect to do this magazine because it has
some functions rivaled only by high-end desktop
publishing programs. While a fairly easy program
to use for letters or reports, its advanced features
are not mastered easily. I commend Dan for at
least trying to continue this format. It means that
the general appearance of this magazine will not
immediately change. It also means that Dan will
have a “Backup Editor” in me, should he want or
need to take time off. At some point, Dan may
decide to produce this magazine by using another
program. Whatever Dan decides, I’m sure that this
magazine will continue to be of the highest quality.
To those of you who have promised me
articles and who have not yet “delivered” on those
promises, please consider following through and
giving those promised articles to Dan.
Generally speaking, our GCAS members
have been very supportive of this magazine. But
(and isn’t there always a
“but?”), there have been
some members who
p ro m ise an d n e ver
deliver, who will travel
hours to a convention or
to other clubs, but cannot
spare a half hour writing
about themselves for our
“Anonymous Fishkeeper”
column. While I hate
ending my last editorial on a sour note, this may be
the only time I can express my long-felt frustration
with certain members. They know who they are.
For fear of inadvertently omitting even
one name, I want to collectively thank everyone
who has worked on and/or contributed to this
magazine. To anyone I have offended in my zeal
to get an issue out, I apologize.
Let me conclude with the title of the final
episode of the television show M*A*S*H,
“Goodbye, Farewell and Amen.”
2 December 2007 Modern Aquarium - Greater City A.S. (NY)
President’sMessage
by JOSEPH FERDENZI
Ihave a number of important topics to address
this month, so please, read all the way through.
* * *Let me begin with something most of you
all ready know, namely, that this is the last issue of
Modern Aquarium for which Al Priest will serve as
the primary Editor. Al took over the reins of
Modern Aquarium from Warren Feuer in 1997. In
the decade since, Al has built Modern Aquarium
into North America’s leading amateur aquarium
publication. The number of awards bestowed on
Modern Aquarium and its authors by the
Federation of American Aquarium Societies
(FAAS) and the Northeast Council of Aquarium
Societies (NEC) is, to my knowledge, unrivaled in
the annals of society publications. This exemplary
record of achievement owes much to the dedication
and talent of Al, who, at all times, was helped by
his equally dedicated wife, Sue.
In ten years of publication, Al has never
missed a deadline. This is impressive enough, but
it becomes altogether more remarkable when you
consider Modern Aquarium’s rigorous schedule.
You see, most other club publications are either
not published monthly, or are mailed to members.
What is the significance of that? Well, the burden
of having a monthly schedule, as opposed to a
bimonthly schedule, is obvious. What is less
obvious, but more pernicious, is the fact that we do
not mail the magazine to our members. When you
mail a publication, you can be somewhat loose on
the publication date. After all, what does it matter
if you mail it one or two days after your supposed
deadline? The members will still receive it in
ample time. But, at Greater City, there is no
mailing. So, if the magazine is not there on the
date of our monthly meeting, the members would
have to wait a whole month before receiving the
tardy issue at our next meeting. As you can see,
there is no margin of error for Modern Aquarium.
Even one day late means at least 30 days late.
How many of us could handle such a demanding
deadline for ten years as successfully as Al has? I
daresay, very few. And, Al’s ten year run is the
longest of any previous Modern Aquarium Editor.
On top of that, as the awards from others
have recognized, Modern Aquarium was
consistently full of quality articles. This was in
large part due to Al’s ingenuity in getting material
from th membership. I well remember many of
Modern Aquarium’s theme issues, most notably the
famous “Ladies Issue,” which was composed of
articles solely from women authors, and was
undoubtedly the first ever amateur or professional
aquarium publication to be authored entirely by
women.
To the daunting challenges of deadlines
and quality, let me add the challenges of quantity
and originality. For every issue, Al and Sue had to
come up with enough articles, along with other
material, to fill some 20 plus pages every month.
In addition, since Al did not want Modern
Aquarium to be a glorified vehicle for
photocopying, they had to largely come up with
original material. If you don’t think that this is a
rather daunting challenge, just take a look at other
monthly publications, and calculate what
percentage of their content is made up of reprints
from other publications. I assure you that the
comparison will leave you impressed. (I should
mention that few clubs these days can even mount
a monthly magazine, much less one that is filled
with original material.)
I should conclude by saying that Greater
City owes an immense debt to Al and Sue for the
their tremendous contribution to the storied life of
our Society. However, the Society has already beat
me to it by, in 2004, electing Al and Sue Priest to
Greater City’s most prestigious pantheon, its Roll
of Honor. There they are enshrined for as long as
there is a Greater City Aquarium Society.
Fortunately for us, one of our newer
members, Dan Radebaugh, has gallantly stepped
forward to try his hand at editorship. Dan will be
assisted by his wife, Marsha. They work together
in the publishing industry. We wish Dan and
Marsha much success. They have the full support
of GCAS’s Board, and we trust, that of our
membership. That Dan and Marsha have
volunteered to keep Modern Aquarium going for
however long they can, is much appreciated, and
speaks highly of their dedication and our good
fortune.
* * *Last month, the first ever AFISH
(Aquarium Federation of Independent Societies
and Hobbyists) Convention was held in Riverhead,
Long Island on the Veteran’s Day weekend of
November 9-11. AFISH is composed of the
Brooklyn Aquarium Society, the Greater City
Aquarium Society, the Long Island Aquarium
Society, and the Nassau County Aquarium Society.
The convention was historic in that it was the first
event ever sponsored by all four of this area’s
major aquarium societies, and it was the first
aquarium convention to be held in Suffolk County.
Modern Aquarium - Greater City A.S. (NY) December 2007 3
That Greater City should have taken a lead role in
sponsoring an event in Suffolk County should not
be altogether surprising inasmuch as Greater City
has a history of holding its own shows in
neighboring Nassau County, beginning with our
Mineola Exposition in 1954, and our tropical fish
show in Valley Stream as recently as 1980.
However, location aside, the union of all four
aquarium societies is what made for a truly
momentous event.
While I do not have a financial report as
of yet, I judge the convention to have been highly
successful. Quite frankly, I have never judged the
success of these events by whether they made (or
lost) money. I do know that no aquarium society
has been bankrupted by their participation in this
event. On the other hand, I know that we had
nearly one hundred registrants for the convention -
a remarkably high number for a first time event.
I know that many of our guests, including persons
of long-standing experience in attending these
types of conventions, complimented us on the
manor and style with which the event was run.
Perhaps most satisfying to me personally were the
thanks I received from some of our newer members
who told me that they were grateful for the
opportunity to participate in an event of this
magnitude that did not require that they travel out-
of-state. I had known from my own frequent
participation in out-of-state events that few of this
area’s aquarium society members in fact attended
these events. A large measure of my motivation in
creating the AFISH Convention was to bridge this
void. With the help of many, this desire to serve
our members as best as I could came to fruition.
I and others are already working on next
year’s Convention. I assure you that it will be even
more fun than the first one. So, make sure you set
aside the Veteran’s Day Weekend of 2008 if you
want to be part of an event that will be remembered
for years to come.
* * *Although I have only been a member of
Greater City since 1984, I am the custodian of the
Society’s historic archives. More significantly,
however, I have read all of this material. This is
important because it permits me to recognize
events that might otherwise go unnoticed. One
such event happens to involve one of our members,
Frank Gannon. Frank may or may not be familiar
to all of you, but he certainly is familiar to me. For
one thing, Frank is very tall. For another, he shows
up every year at the first meeting to pay his dues.
This is remarkable in itself because it bespeaks his
dedication to being a member of our club.
However, I think you will readily grasp the
significance of this to me when I tell you that he
has been doing this since at least 1968! If one
looks at the membership roll that is published in
our 1968 show journal, you will see Frank’s name.
And, you will see his name ever thereafter in our
membership rolls. Sadly, Frank is the only person
left from this 1968 roll who is still an active
member of our Society.
In recognition of Frank’s dedication, at
this year’s Holiday Party, the Society will present
Frank with a plaque commemorating this
achievement, and conferring Lifetime membership.
So, henceforth, we trust that Frank will show up as
he always has, but now he won’t have to pay any
dues. He’s all paid up...and then some.
Congratulations to Frank.
* * *One can say that the greatest honor
Greater City can confer upon one of its members is
to be elected to its Roll of Honor. However, when
I look upon the names there enshrined, one evident
impression is made upon me. Namely, that it is the
people whose names are thus registered that have
honored Greater City by devoting their time and
talents for the sake of the rest of us. Often, they
have sacrificed much. Always, we have been the
beneficiaries of their efforts. This year, we add
another lustrous name to that Roll of Honor.
She materialized in 1997 at our 75th
Anniversary Diamond Jubilee Show. How
propitious it is that she attended. In the ten years
since, she has transformed the public face of
Greater City, brought immeasurable service to our
members, and given great honor to Greater City by
its ability to call her our own.
Her presence is instantly noticeable at our
meetings. She greets everyone with warmth and
affection. She brings the candy and the treasured
door prizes. She is always there to help and make
every member’s participation in the club as
enjoyable as possible.
She has served as our Membership Chair
and our Program Chair for many, many years; two
more important jobs carried out to perfection by
her. As if that were not enough, she has written
numerous award winning articles for Modern
Aquarium, and proofread nearly every issue. She
has written columns, and she has authored
biographies for all of our speakers (for whom she
also designs a personalized souvenir and procures
a gift). No facet of Greater City is untouched by
her caring.
On top of all that, she has become one of
Greater City’s most outstanding representatives in
the aquarium hobby. She is the founder of the
much-heralded C .A .R .E.S . Preservation
Program, designed to protect and cherish
endangered fish. Its national scope bespeaks her
dedication to our hobby.
In addition, she has served on the Board
of Directors of the American Cichlid Association,
the largest association of its kind in America, and
4 December 2007 Modern Aquarium - Greater City A.S. (NY)
has prominently served as the Managing Editor of
its world-famous journal, the Buntbarsche Bulletin.
As if those achievements weren’t enough,
she did something only one other Greater City
member has ever done. She authored a book,
Aquarium Care of Cichlids (part of the popular
Animal Planet series of books). (The other
member was world-renowned guppy breeder Paul
Hahnel, who co-authored a book in the 1960s.)
Frankly, the above is only the tip of the
iceberg. It is, therefore, altogether fitting that this
year the Roll of Honor is once again honored by
adding the name of Claudia Dickinson.
* * *I want to end by wishing all of you a very
Merry Holiday Season and a Happy New Year!
We now take our winter break, and so I’ll see you
all next March.
Excelsior!
Our Generous Members
Each month a sheet is located on our auction table where those members who donate items to the
auction can indicate their donations (and yes, a “50%-50%” split is also a donation) if they wish to
do so. Due to the immense generosity of those who donate, we have no shortage of items to be
auctioned. A warm thank you to the following members who so generously contributed, making last
month’s auction the huge success that it was.
Robert Altonen Harry Faustmann
Bill Amely Rich Levy
Jeff Bollbach Anton Vukich
Carlotti De Jager Ed Vukich
Detailsby SUSAN PRIEST
Afew people have asked me their own variation of this question: “What are you going to do with all
the extra time you will have once you’re not working on Modern Aquarium?” I expect (and hope)
that I will always be working on Modern Aquarium. I know that I will continue to do the most
important thing anyone can do; I will continue to write! I do anticipate having a bit more time for the
things I enjoy, such as reading, gardening, and maybe even fishkeeping.
The people who have written about Al’s Editorship have left out a few details. They didn’t tell
you about how grouchy he gets when he can’t find an article in the computer, or the copies of proofreading
corrections which he has just printed, or he can’t find out if the print shop is open the day before, or the
day after, or even the day of a certain holiday. When the computer shuts itself off at a crucial moment
(aren’t they all crucial?) forget abut it! Actually, this list could get quite long. It’s time to move on.
Have you ever wondered how he gets everything to fit precisely, that is, not overlapping onto the
next page for two sentences, or falling short of the end of the page? Well, the secret of his success is in
the tool box that sits between his ears. It is a bit rusty, and it squeaks when he opens it, but it contains a
solution to every problem. If there are 30 pages, he has 30 different solutions. I’m not sure what all of
them are, but I know that one of them is a shoehorn!
When each article finally gets a page number, and the contents has been typed up, you would think
that Al could indulge himself in a well-deserved sigh of relief. Not so. Proofreading seemingly never ends,
and last minute changes are notoriously deadly. They are the most likely places for errors to creep in that
will get noticed by you instead of us.
Certain things never suffer. We always attend church, and we rarely miss a meal, but sleep is
another matter. When we don’t get enough sleep because we were working late, rather than starting out
again feeling refreshed because we are that much farther along, Al starts out, yep, you guessed it, Grouchy!
The time finally comes when there is no choice but to let it go; to turn Modern Aquarium over to
the print shop, and ultimately to all of you. Then you can see it and hear it and feel it in every part of him.
He would never say it, so I will say it for him. He is proud!
Modern Aquarium - Greater City A.S. (NY) December 2007 5
Adventures on the Rio NegroPart IV
by CLAUDIA DICKINSON
Photographs by the author
Moving upriver throughout the night, our
destination is the whitewaters of the Rio
Branco, noted for its richness of wildlife.
Pausing on our journey northward to take the
canoes out for exploration, our guides machete a
path so that we can make our way through the
dense thickets that cloak the small hidden streams,
from which we break out into the open and glide
deftly through the expansive floodplains. The Rio
Negro and its outlying waterways are infinite in
their beauty, from the exquisite early morning
sightings of macaws, to the brilliant blue butterflies
that flit in and out amongst the fruits and flowers of
thick vegetation. A massive iguana is spotted
sunning itself on a branch high above our heads,
lazily observing us, confident in its safe roost.
Yellow-rumped caciques watch over nests that drip
from the treetops, and swarms of green Amazon
parrots scold loudly with a sharp show of bravado
as they fly above our heads, remaining at a distance
that belie their saucy display of courage.
A brief stop for dipnetting and seining in
the blackwaters along the sandy shoreline bring
the discovery of apistos, tetras, and Hypselecara
temporalis (chocoloate cichlids). Tiny baby
Monocirrhus polyacanthus (leaf fish) are an
additional exhilaration to find in our nets, and we
bring them back to the boat for photographing.
With the evening comes an entirely new
set of creatures and qualities. As the sun dips just
below the horizon, casting its final orange glow
softly over the mighty river, bats arrive in droves,
swooping down on the water to collect the insects
that have also taken the dusk hour to gather. The
strong beams of our flashlights pierce through the
night’s blackness, revealing numerous other
animals that are wide awake during this prime
hunting hour. Those who sleep are awakened by
our intrusion, their instincts taking over to hold
them in stark stillness in hopes of going unnoticed.
A background symphony of uncommon whistles,
chortles, croaks, calls, and shrieks builds to a loud
cacophony holding an unexpected harmony of
sorts, bringing with it a sense of sheer wonder
under the star-filled sky.
A jungle that is beautiful beyond belief,
and yet unmerciful at its slightest whim, rears its
head with reality when we come across a young
woman who, five days earlier, was bitten by a
venomous snake. Her infant son cries in
bewilderment, and her husband’s deep, dark eyes
look down solemnly, and a worried furrow covers
his brow. His wife lies quietly, her face silently
stoic, with a leg that is swollen to three times its
normal size. The crew have set up a hammock for
the woman, and the cook and her daughter feed the
family and play with the baby as we speed back
down river to the closest town, still hours away.
Finally, we arrive in Novo Airaõ, which has
facilities to treat the snakebite, and the woman and
her family are immediately taken onto shore.
Later, we learn that she has been successfully
treated and will recover. Had she not been found
and received medical assistance, her chances would
have been questionable. That is the way of the
jungle.
We happen to be docked at a floating
“restaurant,” and so take the opportunity to feed
and swim with a group of Amazonian pink
dolphins, which have made their home here. This
convivial bunch make it quite apparent that they
are accustomed to treats and human company! Of
course, I am taken by the family’s red front
Amazon parrot which we successfully entice with
trail mix and crackers to come down from the top
of the doorway.
Immense Victorian water lilies, caiman,
an emerald tree boa, sloths, extraordinary birds,
lovely insects, breathtaking flowers, dense jungle,
thick with twisting, draping vines, huge fronds of
palm leaves, papayas — and fish. The Rio Negro’s
captivating mystique is all that I had dreamed of,
and oh, so much more. The awe that this
enchanted land instilled in Henry Walter Bates and
Alfred Russel Wallace is now understood with
crisp clarity as I feel their presence, following in
their footsteps of two centuries ago.
Approaching port, my eyes linger over the
magnificent river and its surrounding jungle with a
hesitancy and deep desire that this might never end.
May we pay attention now, while there is still time
for the Rio Negro and the Amazon River. Project
Piaba is striving to maintain the fisheries and other
sustainable resources, actively involving the people
who rely on the river and the land. “Buy a fish,
save a tree.” Together, let us work to keep this
dream alive, for those who follow in our footsteps
two centuries from now.
6 December 2007 Modern Aquarium - Greater City A.S. (NY)
This exquisite emerald tree boa is
discovered in the middle of the
night, high in a tree overhanging
the river. After four hours of
exciting attempts, much to the
snake’s disapproval the determined
crew is able to capture her for
admiring and photographing. She
is then returned to “her tree!”
The immense Victorian water
lilies grow up to six feet in
diameter, their lovely flowers up
to eight inches, and the underside
of the huge leaf is as exquisite as
the top.
Yellow rumped caciques bring
food for their young, their nests
collectively hang from the treetops.
Seining in the blackwater along the
sa nd y sho re l ine b r ings in
Hypselecara temporalis (chocolate
cichlids), along with assorted tetras
and Apistogramma spp.
How exciting to discover this huge
Amazonian bullfrog, sleeping
along the banks at night! Some of
the frogs and toads excrete a
venom when handled that can
irritate or sting the skin. This
fellow, however, did not seem to
have such a defense mechanism.
A wide variety of species of
tarantulas sport a rich, deep velvety
coat, the tips touched with a lovely
sheen of greens, blues, and reds.
The canoe glides through the tall grasses of the floodplains, at times
breaking out into the open.
Modern Aquarium - Greater City A.S. (NY) December 2007 7
These pods contain a deep red
“paint” that has many uses, one
being to decorate the face and
body, just as we use blush and
lipstick.
Beautiful white sandbars appear
out of nowhere, some as huge
expanses of beaches, in stark
contrast to the shallow black
waters.
The inquisitive and amicable
Amazonian pink dolphins come up
for a snack!
S t in g rays a re p len tifu l in
fishermen’s holding tubs.
One of the larger tetras of the Rio
Negro.
Many of the fish that are collected
have lost large chunks of their
body to piranha.
Ryan McAndrews and Scott Dowd
stir the pot of stew as the jungle air
fills with the delicious aroma.
Piranha and assorted catfish
are sauteed to a delectable
crispy delight for dinner.
Our primitive fishing line and pile of bait does the job as perfectly as
any fancy rod and reel!
8 December 2007 Modern Aquarium - Greater City A.S. (NY)
Thick carpets of leaf litter, where
our fish actually live in nature,
need to be seen to truly understand
their needs in our aquariums.
The smoke from burning land cuts
sharply through the ethereal
beauty.
The perfect locale for discus and
angelfish.
The celebrated “wedding of the waters,” where the blackwater of the
Rio Negro meets with the whitewater of the Rio Solimões. There is
no mixing of the mineral-rich whitewater with the tannic blackwater
that is virtually void of nutrients. Just west of this juncture the Rio
Solimões is referred to as the Rio Amazonas.
Together, let us work to keep this dream alive...
Sweets are a rare treat, bringing
wonder to the children...
‘Adventures on the Rio Negro’ is dedicated with heartfelt warmth to Ross Socolof, trueinspiration to me, and a rare treasure to the aquarium world.
Modern Aquarium - Greater City A.S. (NY) December 2007 9
GCAS Past Award WinnersJOSEPH FERDENZI ROLL OF HONOR
Gene Baiocco
Joe Bugeia
Mary Ann Bugeia
Dan Carson
Charles Elzer
Joe Ferdenzi
Warren Feuer
Herb Fogal
Paul Hahnel
Ben Haus
Emma Haus
Jack Oliva
Al Priest
Susan Priest
Herman Rabenau
Marcia Repanes
Nick Repanes
Don Sanford
Mark Soberman
DON SANFORD BREEDER OF THE YEAR (Since 1981)1981-82; 1982-83. . . . . . . . Ginny & Charlie Eckstein 1993-94. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Joe Ferdenzi 1983-84; 1984-85. . . . . . . . Rich Sorensen 1994-95. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Steve Sagona 1985-86. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Yezid Guttierez 1995-96. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Tom Miglio 1986-87. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Joe Ferdenzi 1996-97. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mark Soberman 1987-88. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Patricia Piccione 1997-98. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Jeff George 1988-89. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Joe Ferdenzi 1998-99; '99-'00. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Tom Miglio 1989-90. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Francis Lee 2000-01. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mark Soberman 1990-91. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Eddie Szablewicz 2001-02. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Alexander Priest1991-92. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Dominic Isla 2002-03; '03-'04, '04-'05. . . . . . . . . Anton Vukich
1992-93. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Steve Sagona 2006. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Warren Feuer
GENE BAIOCCO AQUARIST OF THE YEAR (Since 1990-91)
1990-91. . . . . . . Diane & Harold Gottlieb 1998-99.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . Vincent & Rosie Sileo
1991-92. . . . . . . Doug Curtin & Don Curtin 1999-00.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Pete D’Orio
1992-93. . . . . . . Mark Soberman 2000-01.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Bernard Harrigan
1993-94. . . . . . . Warren Feuer 2001-02.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Jason Kerner
1994-95. . . . . . . Steve Sagona 2002-03.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Carlotti De Jager
1995-96. . . . . . . Alexander & Susan Priest 2003-04.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Jack Traub
1996-97. . . . . . . Joe Ferdenzi 2006. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Anton Vukich
1997-98, '04-'05. Claudia Dickinson
WALTER HUBEL BOWL SHOW CHAMPIONS (Since 1983-84)1983-84. . . . . . . . Tom Lawless1984-85. . . . . . . . Tom Lawless1985-86. . . . . . . . . Joe Ferdenzi1986-87. . . . . . . . . Joe Ferdenzi1987-88. (tie). . Mark Soberman
and Mary Ann & Joe Bugeia1988-89. . . . . . . . . . Jason Ryan1989-90. . . . . Eddie Szablewicz
1990-91. . . . . Eddie Szablewicz1991-92. . . . . . . . Steve Sagona1992-93. . . . . . . . Steve Sagona1993-94. . . . . . . . Steve Sagona1994-95. . . . . Carlotti De Jager1995-96. . . . . . . Mary Eve Brill1996-97. . . . . . . . Steve Sagona1997-98. . . . . . . . Steve Sagona
1998-99. . . . . . . . . Tom Miglio1999-00. . . . . . . . . Tom Miglio2000-01. . . . . . . Pat Coushaine2001-02. . . . . . . . . . Bill Amely2002-03. . . . . . . . Evelyn Eagan2003-04. . . . . . . . . . Bill Amely2004-05. . . . . . . . Evelyn Eagan2006. . . . . . . . . . . . . Ed Vukich
VICTOR BECKER MEMORIAL AWARD For most outstanding species bred (1st awarded 1994-95) 1994-95. . . . . . . . . . . . . Thomas Bohme (Serrasalmus nattereri) 1995-96. . . . . . . . . . . . . John Moran (Synodontis multipunctatus) 1996-97. . . . . . . . . . . . . Carlotti De Jager (Betta simplex) & Mark Soberman (Corydoras duplicareus) 1997-98. . . . . . . . . . . . . Greg Wuest (Nothobranchius foerschi) & Joe Ferdenzi (Corydoras adolfoi) 1998-99. . . . . . . . . . . . . Tom Miglio (Rasbora heteramorpha) 1999-00. . . . . . . . . . . . . Charley Sabatino (Spathodus erythrodon)
DINO BARBARISI HORTICULTURAL AWARD
1993-94.Don Curtin & Doug Curtin 1995-96.Vincent & Rosie Sileo
1994-95.Steve Gruebel 1996-97.Joe Ferdenzi
GCAS PRESIDENTS (Post 1945 — number in parenthesis = consecutive terms)
1946-49 Elliott Whiteway (4) 1968-70 Walter Hubel (2) 1981-84 Brian Kelly (3)
1950-51 Robert Greene (2) 1970-72 Dave Williams (2) 1984-86 Jack Oliva (2)
1952-53 Robert Maybeck (2) 1972-73 Dan Carson (1) 1986-97 Joe Ferdenzi (11)
1954-55 Leonard Meyer (2) 1973-75 Herb Fogal (2) 1997-99 Vincent Sileo (2)
1956-57 Sam Estro (2) 1975-76 Richard Hoey (1) 1999-00 Jeff George (1)
1958 Leonard Meyer (2+1) 1976-77 Ted Tura (1) 2000-07 Joe Ferdenzi (11+8)
1959-64 Gene Baiocco (6) 1977-78 Gene Baiocco (6+1)
1965 Andrew Fazio (1) 1978-79 Louis Kromm (1)
1966-68 Charles Elzer (2) 1979-81 Don Sanford (2)
10 December 2007 Modern Aquarium - Greater City A.S. (NY)
Greater City Aquarium Society
— 2007 Awards —To be awarded December 12, 2007
JOSEPH FERDENZI ROLL OF HONORCLAUDIA DICKINSON
GENE BAIOCCO AQUARIST OF THE YEAR AWARDEDWARD VUKICH
DON SANFORD BREEDER OF THE YEAR AWARDJEFFREY BOLLBACH
WALTER HUBEL BOWL SHOW CHAMPIONEDWARD VUKICH
MEMBERSHIP AWARDFRANK GANNON
BREEDERS AWARDS
SENIOR GRAND MASTER BREEDER (800 points)ANTON VUKICH
MASTER BREEDER (300 points)JEFFREY BOLLBACH
ADVANCED BREEDER (100 points)DICK MOORE
AUTHOR AWARD PROGRAM (AAP) AWARDSOnly authors making contributions printed during 2007 (or who received AAP points as a result of NEC
and/or FAAS publication awards announced in 2007) and whose AAP levels changed are listed below.
Bill Amely. . . . . . . . . . . . Author Joseph Graffagnino. . . . Essayist
Sharon Barnett. . . . . . . . . Writer pBernard Harrigan. . . . Grand Master Laureate
Evelyn Eagan. . . . . . . . . . Author Jerry O’Farrell. . . . . . . Journalist
Frank Fallon. . . . . . . . . . . Author Leonard Ramroop. . . . . Author
Harry Faustmann. . . . . . . Author Charley Sabatino. . . . . . Essayist
Joseph Ferdenzi. . . . . . . . Master Laureate Stephen Sica. . . . . . . . . Journalist
Horst Gerber.. . . . . . . . . . Writer
pBernard Harrigan is Author of the Year for 2007!
Modern Aquarium - Greater City A.S. (NY) December 2007 11
From the Peruvian Amazon jungle…photo by David Snell
...to the boat...photo by David Snell
...to the packing
house/exporters...
The Fish Arrivalby Claudia Dickinson
Photographs by the author except where noted
There is something profound about looking at
the inhabitants of an aquarium and recalling
precisely where they came from, and the
circumstances surrounding the acquisition. They
might have been a kind gift from a treasured friend,
or acquired from a club auction, a convention, a
favorite local aquarium shop, an online auction that
you placed the highest proxy bid on that you could
— just to be certain — and then received them at
an excellent price or, you might have collected
them in their native habitat!
Recently, I had just returned from the
Peruvian Amazon and a shipment of fish was soon
to follow that my colleagues and I had collected.
There were 28 boxes in total, three of which would
be touching down at Long Island Islip MacArthur
Airport, with my name on the manifest. How
exciting!
Time is wonderfully unimportant in South
America, and exactly when the fish would arrive
was anybody’s guess! There were plans, followed
by the expected delays, and then strikes, and then
a Peruvian Holiday, and once the weekend passed,
there were more plans. My dear friends, Joe
Ferdenzi and Mark Soberman (as well as my
husband, Brad!), were extraordinarily patient as
they arranged their schedules to be prepared at a
day’s notice to meet us at Joe’s house whenever the
shipment arrived.
Finally, the day of arrival came and this
time, it was actually true! I had to smile as the man
at the airport cargo building remembered me from
the past, and knew that there were fish in those
boxes. The next time, I am going to open a box to
show him the fish. He may wish to start a fish tank
— and join the GCAS!
The evening of the fish arrival was, of
course, late at night, as are all the most memorable
fish arrivals. Joe’s lovely wife, Anita, was so kind
to greet us at the front door at such an hour, and
welcomed us into the Ferdenzi home with open
arms.
As we unpacked the fish in Joe’s
fishroom, there was a shared sense of fishy
camaraderie as each box was opened, each bag
held up to check for condition, survival, and
identification, and each batch of fish transferred to
a bucket for some fresh water and a closer look.
Speaking of fresh water, Joe, in his
characteristically thoughtful manner, had filled up
numerous bottles of water several days before in
anticipation of the arrival, knowing that this would
be refreshingly welcome to the well-traveled fish
— which it was! He also had the forethought to
purchase a huge bag of blackworms, which he so
generously shared with each of us. Our wild
specimens would be most appreciative and
accepting of the live food for their first meals.
Once the fish had been unpacked and all
were settled in, we said our goodbyes, and Brad
and I headed east on our journey to Montauk.
Tucked safely in the back, the new arrivals began
the final leg of their long journey. A bag of
blackworms sat on the front seat, and a particular
warmth filled my heart, with the certainty that in
the future these aquarium inhabitants would surely
evoke special memories of native lands, and
treasured moments with dear friends.
12 December 2007 Modern Aquarium - Greater City A.S. (NY)
The fish finally arrive in the US! Once in Joe
Ferdenzi’s fishroom, the fish boxes are opened
by Mark Soberman.
Brad Dickinson opens the tightly banded bags.
The fish are sorted in buckets and given fresh
water.
M ark Soberman has the buckets stacked in
preparation.
Brad Dickinson, Joe Ferdenzi, and M ark Soberman
make this fish shipment a particularly memorable one!Joe Ferdenzi generously bags up fresh
blackworms for a first meal that will be
welcomed by the wild fish.
Modern Aquarium - Greater City A.S. (NY) December 2007 13
Special Editiona Series On Books For The Hobbyist
by SUSAN PRIEST
Exotic Aquarium Fishes by Dr. Wm. T. InnesA Seventy-Two Year PerspectivePart Three: Review of Editions Nineteen, Twenty and Twenty-One
Picture yourself at the beach, walking along
the ocean’s edge. The seagulls, the sun, and
the sand are all in their places, and yet
something is not quite right. Suddenly you realize
what it is. The waves are moving away from you!
As you look out over the water, it is rolling towards
the horizon rather than the shore. A complete
reversal of the tide has taken place.
As startling and dramatic a change as the
one I have just described is about to take place, as
the subsequent generations of Exotic come under
scrutiny. Specifically, editions nineteen, twenty,
and twenty-one will be compared to earlier editions
(see Parts One and Two of this article in the
November 2007 issue of
Modern Aquarium), and to
each other.
For the first
twenty-two years (1935
through 1957), Exotic was
under the care and control of
its creator. Then, due to the
influence of exactly what
happenstances no one can
say for sure, Dr. Innes let
the copyright lapse. Shortly
thereafter, other publishers
saw this as an opportunity
for personal gain. The
results of their forays were
mixed.
The nineteenth
edition was rife with
confusion. For starters,
there were three different
nineteenth editions. The
first one, with a publication
date of 1957, was the last to
be revised by Dr. Innes, and
it did have his signature
leatherette cover. Then came
two different versions of the “nineteenth edition
revised.” At this point I am going to return to the
e-mail conversation from the Aquarium Hobby
Historical Society (AHHS).
“The first Nineteenth Edition, Revised was
published in 1964, which was of the same fine
quality as all the issues previously produced by the
Innes Publishing Company, and having the green
leatherette cover with color images throughout. It
was published jointly by The Aquarium Publishing
Company and E.P. Dutton and Company. The
second Nineteenth Edition, Revised was the one
published in 1966 by Pet Books, Inc.
(Metaframe).” Raymond Wetzel
The copy of the nineteenth edition,
revised which I have available for review is the
1966 version. Let’s start with what it does have.
It does have the front and
rear maps. It does have a
black and white photograph
of the color illustration of the
rasboras (a poor substitute),
and it does have a portrait of
Dr. Innes. It has 593 pages.
The text is true to
the spirit of Dr. Innes. In
fact, it is virtually identical to
my thirteenth edition, with
the exception that a few more
fishes were included. (I will
go out on a limb here, and
make the assumption that
they were also included in
the 1957 nineteenth edition.)
T h e m a j o r
d i f f e r e n c e , w h i c h i s
immediately evident, are the
black and white photos
throughout. Occasionally
you will come across a photo
with a small notation in one
corner. For example,
accompanying the text which
describes the Head-and-Tail-
Light Tetra there is a photo which says “color plate
page 551.” “Aha!,” you say to yourself, as you
discover the section of color illustrations at the rear
14 December 2007 Modern Aquarium - Greater City A.S. (NY)
of the book. A comparison
of the two photos will
reveal that they are identical
in every detail, except for the
color. Each of the color
plates refers the reader back
to the correct page number of
the biography for that fish.
Further investigation leads
you to a color representation
of the trademark rasbora
illustration at the beginning
of the color plates. (Once
again, it is a poor substitute.)
“The book lost its unique
character when the color
plates were all put in the
back (to save money), and
the lovely leatherette cover
was replaced.”
Alan Mark Fletcher
O n e o t h e r
difference, a footnote, if you
will, is the texture of the paper. My first, eighth,
and thirteenth editions all have smooth paper which
lets your fingers glide over the pages. The 1966
Metaframe version has coarser paper.
The twentieth edition, published in 1979
by the Metaframe Corporation (you may remember
that this was my first copy;
see my discussion of the
cover in Part One), is a
whole new animal, so to
speak. The first thing you
will want to know is that it
has (only!) 266 pages.
There are no maps, no
rasbora illustration, and no
portrait of Dr. Innes. The
title page still proclaims
him to be the author, but it
has been “edited and
u p d a t e d b y K l a u s
Woltman.” Updated to
basically half the number
of pages! Hmmm. Is it just
me, or does something
smell fishy here?
The best way for
me to convey the flavor of
this edition is to quote a
few excerpts from the
fo rewo rd , which was
written by Mr. Woltman.
“The 20th edition of Exotic
Aquarium Fishes is the first
major revision since the
b o o k w a s o r i g i n a l l y
published in 1935 . . . The
most obvious and notable
revision is the replacement
of all original color plates
and b lack and white
photographs with modern
color photographs of the
highest quality . . . A few
marginal species had to be
omitted because quality
specimens suitable for
p h o t o g r a p h y w e r e
unavailable to us . . .
Chapters of former editions
have been deleted either
because they had become
hopelessly obsolete, or
because our knowledge
about the subject matter has
increased to such an extent
that to treat the subject
adequately would go beyond
the scope of this book.”
Well! I can’t imagine that I could insult
you any more than Mr. Woltman already has when
I say that this was a clear case of literary rape! By
the time I acquired my well used copy, anyone
associated with this, the twentieth edition of
Exotic, had long since stopped receiving any
financial gain from its sale.
We can only hope that the
aquarists of 1979 were
familiar enough with the
classic editions to steer a wide
and clear path around this
one.
I would like to add
my own brief comment about
the new “high quality”
photographs. They actually
seem quite serviceable until
you compare a few of them to
those taken by Dr. Innes
himself.
Now we come to the
last, and very definitely the
least, of the versions of Exotic
under consideration. This is
the twenty-first edition. It
was published by T.F.H.
Publications, and my copy has
a date of 1994. The title is
Innes’s Exotic Aquarium
Fishes. Once again, there are
n o m a p s , no r a s b o r a
illustration, and no portrait of
Dr. Innes.
Modern Aquarium - Greater City A.S. (NY) December 2007 15
What we have here is a study in
contradictions, mixed together with some deja vu.
This is (in part) what it says on the back cover:
“Here is the most recent edition of a true aquarium
classic. It represents major changes in the original
Exotic Aquarium Fishes, by Dr. William T. Innes,
to the extent that neither any of Dr. Innes’s photos
nor any significant portion of his original text
appears in this book.” (If all of that were true, then
wouldn’t you call it something else?) The
contradiction is that, in fact, most of the text is Dr.
Innes’s.
Quoting from the Foreword to the twenty-
first edition (again, in part): “Metaframe elected to
rewrite the book almost completely. They called
this edition the 20th Edition of the Innes Exotic
Aquarium Fishes. That edition was published in
1979. The sales of that book were so poor that it
was never reprinted.” Here is where the deja vu
comes in. Between the covers of the twenty-first
edition, much of the text and most of the photos are
virtual clones of those in the Metaframe twentieth
edition. Even sections of the foreword are copied
verbatim from the foreword of the twentieth
edition. The differences were so subtle that if you
didn’t know what the cover looked like, you would
be hard pressed to determine which book you were
reading!
A few familiar features can be found, such
as the original diagrams of fish anatomy. Readers
of editions up to and including the nineteenth will
feel at home with most of the text, however
abbreviated. At 288 pages, the twenty- first edition
cannot live up to its claim of being “greatly
expanded from the original edition.” (I’m not sure
which edition they might be referring to. As you
may remember, the first edition had 463 pages, and
subsequent editions grew to be well over 500.)
I must apologize for my negativity.
Those of you who read my “Wet Leaves” column
with any regularity know that I am not a book
basher. In this circumstance of comparing and
contrasting the different editions of Exotic, I have
no choice but to “tell it like it is,” as well as to
stand by my metaphor of the reversal of the tide.
I return one last time to the AHHS forum, only to
add that the comments of these very well known
and highly respected hobbyists were much more
harsh than mine (so much so that I decided not to
quote from them). However, the opinions they
have expressed coincide with my own.
Don’t worry; I haven’t forgotten about the
question I left you pondering last month. What
fish was Wm. T. referring to when he said “They
sail like swans asleep?” It was Greater City’s own
signature fish, the elegant angelfish.
American Cichlid Association
2008 National ConventionJuly 17th through July 20th, 2008
The American Cichlid Association ACA holds an annual convention, usually in July,featuring cichlid experts as speakers, acompetitive cichlid show, an auction ofcichlids, and opportunities to meetother cichlid hobbyists. Thisweekend-long event is the highlight ofthe year and is usually attended by 600or more people.
The 2008 American CichlidAssociation Convention is being held inAtlanta, Georgia, from Thursday, July 17th through Sunday,July 20th, 2008. It will be hosted by the Atlanta Area
Aquarium Association (AAAA).
http://www.aca2008.com/
16 December 2007 Modern Aquarium - Greater City A.S. (NY)
AFISH Convention 2007A dream comes true ~ now forever a treasured memory……
by CLAUDIA DICKINSON
With photographs by the author
Our GCAS President, Joe Ferdenzi, had a
dream. After two years of preparations, the
culmination of that dream, the first AFISH
Convention, has come and passed, going down in
history as an extraordinary success, and leaving
behind fond memories, along with the anticipation
of many more to follow in the ensuing years.
Brimming with an unmatched warmth and
camaraderie of fellow hobbyists who convened
from the four counties that make up Long Island,
NY — Kings, Queens, Nassau, and Suffolk — as
well as New Jersey, Connecticut, and beyond, the
first AFISH Convention was held in Riverhead,
NY, on November 9th ~ 11th 2007. It took place
at the Best Western Hotel, just minutes away from
the Atlantis Marine World Aquarium.
Joe, along with Al DiSpigna and Joseph
Graffagnino, past and current Presidents of the
Brooklyn Aquarium Society, Harry Faustmann and
Michael Foran, past and current Presidents of the
Nassau County Aquarium Society, and Vinny
Kreyling and Arie Gilbert, past and current
Presidents of the Long Island Aquarium Society,
joined together to form AFISH, the Aquarium
Federation of Independent Societies and
Hobbyists. Meticulous planning went into this
exciting project, providing an opportunity for
hobbyists in the Long Island and metropolitan New
York area to experience a convention and all that
it has to offer, including celebrated speakers,
vendors, side trips, and of course, the sharing of
deep friendships.
AFISH had it all! Finally, a convention
that was less than a four hour trip for most
attendees, the majority had a short drive of less
than two hours, and many lived within 15 or 20
minutes of the site. Of course, a huge thank you to
those who did make the effort to travel a further
distance! The event was suffused with the
generous support and goodwill of all who came.
No sooner had I pulled my car up to the
curb on Friday night than I was greeted by the
welcoming voice of Ray “Kingfish” Lucas,
immediately followed by cheerful smiles and warm
hugs from Harry Faustmann, Mike McNamee,
Joseph Graffagnino, Ken Davis, and Frank
Laudato, with as many helping hands so kindly
pitching in to assist me with unloading boxes of
treats and decorations.
Making my way down the hall to my
room, my steps quickened at the wonderfully
familiar jovial laughter resounding from behind
one of the doors. It was all I could do to hastily
drop my luggage off, and back I went to join in
with heartfelt hugs, and much conviviality amongst
dear friends, Joe Ferdenzi, Chuck Davis, Jeannie
and Rosario LaCorte, Al Di Spigna, Mark
Soberman, and Michael Foran. Joseph
Graffagnino, Ken Davis, and Mike McNamee had
found their way here as well, making it a Grande
way to start the celebration! Earlier in the evening,
the Long Island Killifish Association had gotten
the convention underway with a presentation by
Mark Denaro of www.anubiasdesign.com fame,
and it was now time to sit back, relax, and enjoy
each other’s company. Sensibility finally reined
me away to get some rest for the coming day’s
large agenda.
Saturday commenced with renowned
catfish experts, Lee Finley and Mark Soberman,
teaming up for an audience of eager listeners, while
curator and cofounder of Atlantis Marine World,
Joe Yaiullo, spoke on Reef Aquariums. Next up,
Senior Aquarist for the New York Aquarium,
Frank Greco, presented Freshwater Shrimp, while
Chris Paparo, Senior Aquarist at Atlantis Marine
World, shared his knowledge on Macro Algae
Cultivation. A dear gem of the organized hobby,
Chuck Davis, spoke to a packed audience on
Anabantoids, while Mark Denaro’s renowned
expertise with aquatic plants was met by an
enthusiastic audience. Following a break for
lunch, our treasured aquarium hobby legend,
Rosario LaCorte, treated us to his years of wisdom
on Rare and Exotic Fish, while Atlantis Marine
World Aquarist, Todd Gardner, presented his
wealth of knowledge on Seahorses. For a perfect
rounding out of the afternoon, noted aquarist
(maintaining 600 tanks!) Ken Davis gave an
excellent presentation on Discus, while the famed
Tullio Dell Aquila brought his many years of
experience on New Lighting Technology.
Throughout the day, the vendor room and
foyers were animated with the bustle and
Modern Aquarium - Greater City A.S. (NY) December 2007 17
exuberance of dear friends, ardent fish talk, and
hearty laughter. Lance Reyniers, inventor of the
Python water changer, every aquarist’s most
essential tool, was on hand to personally answer
questions and offer advice, alongside the illustrious
and beloved Ray “Kingfish” Lucas. Special friend
to the entire aquarium hobby, Lee Finley, of Finley
Aquatic Books, www.finleyaquaticbooks.com ,
brought his exemplary collection of new and
collectable books, and Ken Menard of Ken’s Fish,
www.kensfish.com , had a virtual store of fabulous
merchandise. Craig Shaubach of Eastern Aquatics
made certain that we all went home with a
generous helping of fresh, luscious blackworms,
while the Tropical Fish Hobbyist booth,
resplendent with the artistry and brilliance of one
lovely cover after another, passed out free issues of
the celebrated magazine. Booth after booth filled
our arms with such wonders as only we can
understand, as the cheerful and informative
vendors went out of their way to lend their ideas to
be taken home along with their wares.
So many faces, so many GCASers, and so
many from our fellow societies! Surely it was
family with every turn of the head - Joe Ferdenzi,
Mark Soberman, Pete D’Orio, Warren Feuer, Brad
Dickinson, Sharon Barnett, Dan and Marsha
Radebaugh, Michael Foran, Jeff Bollbach, Artie
Friedman, Harry Faustmann, Mike McNamee,
Lenny Ramroop, Jack Traub, Al Grusell, Ed
Vukich, Bennie Graham, Rich Levy, Horst Gerber,
Michael and Natalie Boscia, Fred Bellise, Ben and
Emma Haus, Steven and Donna Sica, Andrew
Jacovina, Bill Amely, Joseph Graffagnino, Al
DiSpigna, Jim and Margaret Peterson, LaMonte
Brown, Mario Bengcion, Karen Ottendorfer, Gino
Cusano, Jerry O’Farrell, Izzy Zwerin, Chuck
Davis, Rosario and Jeannie LaCorte, Christine and
Frank Policastro, all the way from New Jersey (!),
Vinny and Jeanette Kreyling, and oh, so many
more……
As the evening banquet approached, we
changed into our “finery,” tables filled, and glasses
toasted amongst the lively conversation that filled
the air. Following a sumptuous buffet, coffee was
poured and a divine cake, garnished with the
AFISH logo, was brought out along with a lovely
bouquet of flowers in celebration of Jeannie and
Rosario’s 56th anniversary. How wonderful that
we were able to share this joyful occasion with
them!
Joe Ferdenzi took the podium in his
characteristically genuine welcoming style, making
us all feel at home, and glad that we came to
AFISH. The eminent cast of speakers, the
exceptional vendors, and the large team of
dedicated people who worked to make this first
AFISH Convention possible were given words of
deep appreciation. To thunderous applause, three
very special awards were presented to those who
had inspired Joe, and so many of us in the hobby,
over the past years — Rosario LaCorte, Chuck
Davis, and Ray Lucas. It was then time for a rare
treasure to the aquarium world, a man passionate
for his subject, and vibrant with infectious
enthusiasm, Anton Lamboj, to give the AFISH
k e y n o te p r e se n ta t io n o n T h e G e n u s
Chromidotilapia. After Anton’s fascinating and
informative talk, we regrouped for further
discussion and laughter — reminiscing and
relaxing, enjoying each other’s company well into
the night.
Sunday began with delicious pastries and
jam, fresh eggs, crisp bacon and sausages,
accompanied by steaming hot coffee and tea,
p a r ta ken in am o ngst the co m fo r ta b le
companionship of true friends. With the huge
auction to begin at noon, expanses of tables,
overflowing with bags of fish and plants, attracted
throngs of viewers who wound their way in and
around the assemblage amidst excited exclamations
over the bounty of finds. Ray “Kingfish” Lucas
had us off to an exhilarating start, auctioning off an
enormously generous amount of dry goods donated
by Python Products, Aquarium Pharmaceuticals,
Ken’s Fish, Tropical Fish Hobbyist, and Atlantis
Marine World, among many other magnanimous
contributors. After this rousing opening, the
audience was warmed up and prepared for raising
their bidding cards high on the hundreds of bags of
fish and plants that followed, to the finesse of such
auctioneer greats as Chuck Davis, Joe Ferdenzi,
Mark Soberman, and Ken Davis.
It was time to say final farewells. Huge
hugs, warm smiles, and words of friendship that
would hold our spirits fast, and solidify our kinship
until we meet again. The first AFISH Convention
is now a wonderful memory to last through
eternity.
Joe had a dream. A dream that we might
all be given the opportunity of sharing the joy of
our hobby with one another. What great pride we
have in what Joe has accomplished, and for having
a dream and following it. For this, he will always
be able to look back and say, “I am so glad that I
did!” And, to our great fortune, we will always be
able to look back and say, “we are so glad that he
did,” as well!
18 December 2007 Modern Aquarium - Greater City A.S. (NY)
Chuck Davis
Ray “Kingfish” LucasRosario LaCorte
Tropical Fish Hobbyist’s booth of
spectacular brilliance generously
offers free copies of the magazine.
Joe Ferdenzi presents a bouquet to
the lovely Jeannie LaCorte in
celebration of Rosario and
Jeannie’s anniversary. True treasures of the aquarium
hobby, Rosario and Jeannie
LaCorte make a special wish prior
to blowing out the candles on their
AFISH anniversary cake!
Claudia Dickinson and our superb
AFISH discus speaker, Ken Davis.
Claudia Dickinson and Lance
Reyniers, inventor of the Python
water changer, every aquarist’s
most indispensable tool!Claudia Dickinson and our
inimitable AFISH keynote speaker,
Anton Lamboj.
Joe Ferdenzi honors three pillars of the aquarium hobby with special AFISH awards.
The author steps on the other side of the lens to share time with special friends.
Modern Aquarium - Greater City A.S. (NY) December 2007 19
The bags of fish for auction were
piled high!
Mark Soberman in full AFISH
auctio neer ing swing (A r t ie
Friedmann assisting on the left).
Dan McKercher, Chuck Davis, and
Ed Vukich celebrate the first
AFISH Convention!
Karen Ottendorfer and Horst
Gerber are having a Grande AFISH
time!
Bill Amely
!st Place
Mario Bengcion
2nd Place
Ed Vukich
3rd Place
Last Month’s Bowl Show Winners
20 December 2007 Modern Aquarium - Greater City A.S. (NY)
Suggested Questions
T Please introduce yourself.
T Tell us about your favorite aquarium.
T What was your very first fish?
T Tell us about your education as a fishkeeper.
T Is there someone you think of as a mentor?
Tell us about him or her.
T Describe your “Fantasy Fish Tank.”
T If you were a fish, which one would you be?
T Who is your “Hobby Hero?”
T What fish which you have never kept would
you like to acquire?
T Describe your biggest fishkeeping “blooper!”
T Describe your most memorable fishkeeping
experience.
T What advice would you give to a
beginning fishkeeper?
T What are your fishkeeping goals?
- OR write a narrative story -
Jack Traub
by SUSAN PRIEST ? ? ANONYMOUS ? ?
This is the last issue of 2007. What does that
mean? It means that we have all enjoyed
two full seasons
o f F i s h k e e p e r s
Anonymous. I would
like to heartily thank
everyone who has
participated so far. I
sincerely hope that
this column will be
gracing the pages of
Modern Aquarium for
many more years to
come.
Didn’t last
month’s author give
us a great read? He
starts out by making
us wonder what his
occupation is, and he
doesn’t give us very
many clues to work
with. He tells us that
his hobby hero is
Chubby Checker!!
Are we all talking
about the same hobby here?
My favorite part was the blooper. Can
you imagine the look on your own face if 15
gallons of fish tank
water was being
siphoned into your
window? (You just
can’t make this stuff
up!)
D o y o u
know who he is yet?
Just look around the
room in search of the
face that is always
smiling. I really
mean it - always! Your gaze will land on our
treasurer, Jack Traub. If you were collecting,
counting, and spending other people’s money,
maybe you would be smiling, too. By the way, his
occupation is a Certified Public Accountant.
Thank you, Jack, for sharing your
adventures and your advice. I have a little advice
of my own for you.
Try talking to your
wife about the 100
gallon tank of your
dreams. I have a
feeling that she will be
happy to help you fill
it with sp a rkling
schools of fish. If she
seems to be hesitating,
just remind her that
her grandchildren will
enjoy it most of all.
By now you
have noticed that there
is no new author this
month. I know some
of you are thinking
about doing it. I know
you all lead very busy
lives, and that writing
up your story for
F i s h k e e p e r s
Anonymous is not at
the top of your list of things to do. However, I also
know how much you enjoy reading it each month
(even more than I do, because you don’t know who
it is at first).
We are about to begin our winter break.
Among other things, winter means that you don’t
need to mow the grass. In the time it takes to mow
the grass just once, you can answer a few of the
questions from the suggested list, and send them
off to either Dan Radebaugh, or Al, and myself.
Maybe you will enjoy reading your own story in
the pages of Modern Aquarium even more than we
will. See you next year!
Greetings of the Season from my heart to yours!
Love, Sue
Modern Aquarium - Greater City A.S. (NY) December 2007 21
GCAS Program Chair Claudia
Dickinson gives a warm thank you
to President Joe Ferdenzi for his
excellent presentation on “Home
Depot for the Aquarist.” GCAS President Joe Ferdenzi
dem o nstra tes a va r ie ty o f
imaginative uses for the soda
bottle, showing us that they are not
only good for holding soda and
hatching baby brine shrimp!
GCAS President Joe Ferdenzi gets
creative at the hobby shop, making
innovative use of plastic
embroidery grids in fashioning this
holding container for larger fish.
Our GCAS charm, Emma Haus,
organizes the upcoming Holiday
party with her excellent efficiency!
After their immense efforts at the
enormously successful AFISH
weekend, Frank Laudato, Harry
Faustmann, and Jeff Bollbach take
this perfect evening to relax and
enjoy each other’s company.
Brooklyn Aquarium Society
President Joseph Graffagnino is
th r i l led b y the wo nd erfu l
outpouring of attendees at the
AFISH Convention, certainly due
in great part to his diligent work on
publicity for the event!
Jim and Margaret Peterson take the
evening to sit back and reminisce
after their months of dedicated
efforts to ensure that the vendors
and numerous other AFISH details
were carried out to perfection!
Rich Levy and Ed Vukich
celebrate the huge success of
AFISH, in which they both played
an integral role!
Looking through the Photos and captions
22 December 2007 Modern Aquarium - Greater City A.S. (NY)
We can feel relatively certain that
the “Back to Nature Aqualog of
Catfishes” will be in a future
Modern Aquarium book review, as
our very own W et Leaves
columnist, Sue Priest, collects her
Door Prize win.
Michael Gallo is thrilled with his
winning ticket for one of the
evening’s Door Prizes!
Due to the evening’s presentation,
T emes M o has discovered
numerous clever items to put into
use with his own fish tanks!
Sharon B arnett and M ario
Bengcion are heading straight for
Home Depot, shopping lists in
hand, after learning of the many
effective ways to use inexpensive
items in their fishrooms!
Lens with the GCAS
by Claudia Dickinson
Modern Aquarium - Greater City A.S. (NY) December 2007 23
GCAS BREEDERS AWARD PROGRAM – 2007Breeder Species Points 1st C.A.R.E.S.
Jeff BollbachGlossolepis pseudoincisus 15 *Melanotaenia lacustris 25 * ÌMelanotaenia boesemani 15 ÌMelanotaenia praecox 5Mikrogeophagus ramirezi 15Xiphophorus montezumae 5Xiphophorus birchmanni 5Archocentrus sp. ‘Honduran red point’ 10Pterophyllum scalare 10Xiphophorus malinche 15 *Xiphophorus helleri 5Apistogramma viejita 25 *Xiphophorus clemenciae 15 *Poecilia (lebistes) reticulata 5Xiphophorus variatus 5Ancistrus sp. 15Aequidens pulcher 10Pelvicachromis pulcher 10Melanotaenia herbertaxelrodi 5Badis bengalensis (Dario dario) 20 *Poecilia petensis 15 *Heterandria formosa 5Tateurndina ocellicauda 5Poecilia picta 5Aphyosemion australe 5Fundulopanchax gardneri ‘nigerianus’ 5Nomorhamphus hageni 25 *Ameca splendens 20 ÌPoecilia latipinna 5Lucania goodei 15 *Limia tridens 5Melanotaenia parva 15 ÌBetta simplex 25 ÌApistogramma trifasciata 15Apistogramma borelli 15Girardinus metallicus 5Melanotaenia trifasciata 15 *Poecilia vellifera 5Cilatherina bleheri 15 ÌBedotia geayi 15 ÌPoecillia salvatoris 15 *Betta smaragdina 15Pachypanchax omalonatus 20 ÌPachypanchax sakaramy 20 ÌAphyosemion celiae ‘Winifredi’ 10Xenotoca eiseni 5Chlamydogobius eremius 25 *Melanotaenia splendida 5Chilatherina fasciata 15 *Alfaro huberi 15 *
# of fish -----> 50 total pts -----> 615
Douglas CurtinTanichthys albonubes 5
# of fish -----> 1 total pts -----> 5
24 December 2007 Modern Aquarium - Greater City A.S. (NY)
Warren FeuerAltolamprologus calvus "inkfin" 25 *Corydoras aeneus 10Tropheus moorii 15Neolamprologus ornatipinnis 25 *Pelvicachromis pulcher 10
# of fish -----> 5 total pts -----> 85
Joseph GraffagninoAphyosemion celiae 10Fundulopanchax gardneri 5Trichogaster trichopterus 10Cichlasoma facetum 10Herichthys deppii 20 *Gymnogeophagus meridionalis 25 *Julidochromis ornatus 15Parophiocephalus unimaculata 10Laetacara curviceps 10Corydoras aeneus 10Fundulus cingulatus 10
# of fish -----> 11 total pts -----> 135
Dick MooreStomatepia pindu 45 * ÌPrognathochromis perrieri 35 * Ì
# of fish -----> 2 total pts -----> 80
Al PriestBetta macrostoma 40 * Ì
# of fish -----> 1 total pts -----> 40
Dan RadebaughHerichthys carpintis 10
# of fish -----> 1 total pts -----> 10
Mark SobermanCorydoras aeneus 10
# of fish -----> 1 total pts -----> 10
Anton VukichHeros oblongus 10Barbus gelius 20 *Melanotaenia lacustris 15 ÌMetriaclima estherae 20 *Tilapia snyderae 20 ÌMelanotaenia boesemani 15 ÌMelanotaenia parva 25 * ÌCubanichthys pengelleyi 20 *Celestichys margaritatus 15 *
# of fish -----> 9 total pts -----> 160
Edward VukichNeolamprologus signatus 15Xenotoca eiseni 5Archocentrus sajica 10Fundulopanchax gardneri ‘nigerianus’ 5Pelvicachromis pulcher 15Aulonocara jacobfreibergi sp. ‘Eureka’ 15
# of fish -----> 6 total pts -----> 65
1st (*) means first recorded breeding of the species in the GCAS Breeders Award ProgramC.A.R.E.S. (Ì) means a species at risk that is listed in the C.A.R.E.S. Preservation Program
Modern Aquarium - Greater City A.S. (NY) December 2007 25
Registration Chair Mike Foran and his assistant,
James Quattropani, greet some registrants for the
AFISH Convention. The Long Island Killifish Association (LIKA)
Bowl Show at their special Friday night meeting
held in conjunction with the AFISH Convention.
Part of the audience for the LIKA auction.
Some of the fish, plants, and other
items for the LIKA auction.Some more of the Friday night auction.
AFISH 2007Memories
Photos by Harry Faustmann
Captions by Joseph Ferdenzi
26 December 2007 Modern Aquarium - Greater City A.S. (NY)
One of the vendors at the AFISH
Convention.
Joe Yaiullo, Curator of Atlantis Marine World
Aquarium in Riverhead, preparing to give his
presentation on Saturday morning.
Another of the vendors at the
Convention.
. . . and some of the items that Ken’s Fish had for sale.
Ray “Kingfish” Lucas (center) speaking to some visitors to his huge manufacturer’s display.
Modern Aquarium - Greater City A.S. (NY) December 2007 27
Karen Ottendorfer and Sharon Barnett
(seated left to right) waiting for their turn at
the Saturday evening Banquet.
GCAS Treasurer Jack Traub hard at work on
a laptop computer.
Horst Gerber (left) and others listening to Jeannie and
Rosario LaCorte (with their backs to the camera) at the
banquet.
Jeannie and Rosario blowing out the candles on the
surprise cake especially made to celebrate their 56th
Wedding Anniversary.
A view of the start of the giant AFISH auction that took place on Sunday
afternoon.
28 December 2007 Modern Aquarium - Greater City A.S. (NY)
“Maybe I should clean the tank more often.”
THE AMUSING AQUARIUM
Modern Aquarium - Greater City A.S. (NY) December 2007 29
Special Editiona Series On Books For The Hobbyist
by SUSAN PRIEST
Exotic Aquarium Fishes by Dr. Wm. T. InnesA Seventy-Two Year Perspective
Part Four: Summary
My original plan was simply to review the
1935 first edition of Exotic. Then I
realized that I had a couple of other
volumes (the nineteenth, revised and twentieth
editions), so I decided to include these, as well.
Then I thought to myself “maybe I can fill in the
gaps with a couple more editions,” so I did a little
on-line shopping. Well, you have seen the results.
Perhaps now you will want to do a little “Exotic”
shopping of your own!
In my naivete, I actually purchased (sight
unseen, of course) a volume which was described
as having “embossed ‘gold fish’ on the cover.”
Well, you can guess what I thought it meant. Now
we all know better. I know that there is a version
with a discus on the cover, but I don’t know when
it was published, or by whom. I’m sure there must
be others out there, as well, which I have not
encountered.
Let me paint some broad strokes with a
wide brush, as I make some very generalized
statements. There are few aquarists who would
disagree with the statement that every edition of
Exotic from the first in 1935, up to and including
the nineteenth in 1957, qualifies as a true classic,
and that with each new revision it was improved
upon. When Dr. Innes was no longer in control of
Exotic, and other publishers started to experiment
with his formula, the finished product(s) were
diminished. Even the new hobbyists of today can
reap countless benefits by reading the works of Dr.
Innes from the 1930s, 40s and 50s.
Here we are in December of 2007,
seventy-two years (and counting) into the
phenomenon known as Exotic Aquarium Fishes.
What have we learned so far? A rhyme from my
childhood comes to mind. It goes like this: “Make
new friends, but keep the old. One is silver and the
other gold.” Even though the names of the fishes
have changed, the fishes themselves have not.
Even though many of the techniques and much of
the equipment we use are different, this is not to
say that all of them are better. The most important
thing we have learned is that we still have much to
learn from the “golden age” of fishkeeping, as
exemplified by the writings of our trusted friend
(do we know him well enough to call him Bill?),
Dr. William T. Innes. We have also learned to
safeguard our copies of Exotic; to keep them dry,
and away from the other pets in the house!
So, where do we go from here?
Unfortunately, it is difficult to imagine any real
future for Exotic. Is there someone with the
necessary combination of integrity and experience,
as well as the time to devote to it, who might
approach the task of a twenty-first century revision;
perhaps even a Centennial Celebratory Edition to
be published in 2035? Keeping it true to the spirit
of the original, as well as infusing it with the latest
information, along with up to the minute
nomenclature, would be a daunting task. As I think
of what Dr. Innes and his staff accomplished long
before anyone had even heard the word
“computer,” I am quite in awe.
The influence that Exotic has had on the
well-being of freshwater tropical fish cannot be
either estimated, or underestimated. Ever since the
first aquarist opened the cover of the first copy of
Exotic in 1935, fish have led longer, happier,
healthier lives. Perhaps the same can be said of
their keepers, as well.
I would like to thank the following people
who have helped me in the preparation of this
Special Edition of Wet Leaves:
Joseph Ferdenzi
Bernard Harrigan
Alexander Priest
Members of the AHHS
Look for the companion article to this four part
perspective , “Dr. William T. Innes: A Paragon of
the Aquarium Hobby” by Joseph Ferdenzi, on
page 31 of this issue.
30 December 2007 Modern Aquarium - Greater City A.S. (NY)
Dr. William T. Innes:
A Paragon of the Aquarium Hobbyby JOSEPH FERDENZI
William T. Innes is considered by many to
be the Father of the American Aquarium
Hobby. Historically, he may not have
been the first to make a significant contribution to
the development of the hobby, but he was a man
who made enormous contributions early on, and
who has left a lasting imprint on those who came
after. I never had the privilege of meeting Dr.
Innes, but I have become
f r i e n d s w i t h A l a n
Fletcher, who did have
the privilege of working
for Dr. Innes. Alan
confirms that Dr. Innes
was a gentleman, and a
true hobbyist at heart. It
is undoubtedly these
qualities, which permeate
his publications and
writ in g s , tha t h a ve
endeared Dr. Innes to
generations of aquarists
who, like me, only knew
him through his books
and magazines.
W i l l i a m
Thornton Innes was born
in 1874 to a prominent
Philadelphia publishing
family. As a young man,
he developed an interest
in photography, which
was then an emerging
hobby. Shortly thereafter,
h e a t t e n d e d a
Philadelphia exhibition of
fancy goldfish, and from there began his lifelong
interest in aquarium fish. As can be gleaned, his
connection to publishing and photography were a
perfect combination for promoting the aquarium
hobby.
Although Innes published aquarium books
as early as 1917, his first big breakthrough came in
1932 with the publication of a monthly magazine,
The Aquarium. This magazine was significant not
only because it contained well-written (and edited)
articles by the leading hobbyists of the day, but it
featured extensive black and white photos inside
and, outstanding for its day, a color photograph
on the cover. Actually, most of these “color
photos” were actually black and white photographs
that were then hand painted, thus creating a striking
illustration somewhere between a photo and a
drawing. The Aquarium magazine became a smash
success, and was published until 1967.
Undoubtedly spurred on by the success of
the magazine, in 1935 Innes published the first
edition of what was to
become the most famous
American aquarium book
o f a l l t im e , E xo tic
Aquarium Fishes. This
book went through 19
editions before Innes
retired from the publishing
field. It became the
“Bible” of the American
aquarium hobby, and was
often the first book on
which many an aquarist
built their knowledge of the
h o b b y ( y o u r a u th o r
included!).
Dr. Innes was a
p r o m i n e n t m a n o f
Philadelphia. He often
p art ic ip a ted in c iv ic
festivities dressed as
Benjamin Franklin, to
whom he bore a striking
resemblance. His home
was located on the campus
of Temple University. In
1951, Temple awarded
I n n e s a n h o n o r a r y
Doctorate of Humane Letters. When he died in
1969, at the age of 95, he willed his home to the
university. The Temple library houses many of his
papers, as does the American Philosophical
Society, which is also located in Philadelphia.
Dr. Innes was also honored in the 1930s
by having the famous Neon Tetra’s scientific name
dedicated to him (Paracheirodon innesi —
originally it was called Hyphessobrycon innesi).
Today, it is still one of the most popular aquarium
fish — a fitting tribute to a popular author and
hobbyist like William T. Innes.
Modern Aquarium - Greater City A.S. (NY) December 2007 31
The GCAS Author Award Program
Welcome to all of our new and continuing
participants in the GCAS Author Award
Program (AAP). This is our ninth year
(we began in 1999). For 2007 we have 27
participants - the most so far in a single year. We
would like to call your attention to an important
point. The Article Awards from the Northeast
Council of Aquarium Societies (NEC) for both
2005 and 2006 were announced in 2007, as were
the Publication awards from the Federation of
American Aquarium Societies (FAAS) for 2006.
All three of these are reflected in the Bonus Points
column of our chart. Congratulations to all of our
winners!
Overview
The GCAS AAP awards points for
contributions to Modern Aquarium. Persons
acquiring a specified number of points will receive
additional recognition in the form of a certificate
for having reached designated Accomplishment
Levels. (See “Accomplishment Levels.”)
Each person making a qualifying
contribution to Modern Aquarium (and that
includes writing for our “Anonymous Fishkeeper”
column!) receives points, as well as chances for a
Prize Drawing at the Annual Holiday Party.
Eligibility
Any member of Greater City who makes
a contribution to Modern Aquarium is
automatically a participant.
Points
Five points will be awarded for an
original article of 500 words or less.
Ten points will be awarded for an original
article of 501 words and over.
Five points will be awarded for an
original photograph, drawing, or illustration
submitted with, and as part of, an original article.
If more than two photographs, drawings, or
illustrations are submitted with a related article,
only two will be given points (this is in addition to
the points awarded the article, based on its size).
Ten points will be awarded for an original
color photograph that is used on the front cover.
Photographs must be the work of the member
submitting them, and must not have been
previously published, or submitted for publication,
in any commercial or amateur publication.
Two or more related photographs or
illustrations submitted with captions, and
occupying one or more pages, will be counted as
two photos (10 points) and as an article over 500
words (10 points), for a total of 20 points. An
example would be a photo spread with captions.
An original article on a fish in the
C.A.R.E.S. Preservation Program will receive
double points (i.e., 10 points for an article of 500
words or less, and 20 points for an article of 501
words or more). Photos and drawings of a
C.A.R.E.S. eligible species will also receive
double points.
Five points will be awarded for an
original puzzle which is used on the “Fin Fun”
page of Modern Aquarium.
Points are awarded only once for an
article, drawing, puzzle, or photograph. No points
are awarded for subsequent reprints, regardless of
whether the original article was awarded points in
the AAP previously. To be eligible for AAP
points, a contribution must first have been
submitted to Modern Aquarium. However, if an
article previously published in Modern Aquarium
is significantly revised by its author (as a result of
new information or developments), and if such a
revision is first submitted to Modern Aquarium, it
will be treated as a new article. Points are awarded
in the year the article is printed.
An article deemed unacceptable by the
Editorial Staff of Modern Aquarium for reasons of
appropriateness of topic, suitability, or possible
violations of copyright or libel laws, will be
ineligible for participation in the GCAS AAP.
Decisions of the Staff are final.
Points credited to an author may not be
carried over or credited to subsequent calendar
years for the purposes of raffle prize chances or
“Author Of The Year” designation.
Bonus Points
If, in the year following its publication in
Modern Aquarium, an article is given a 1st, 2nd or
3rd place award by the North East Council of
Aquarium Societies (“NEC”) or by the Federation
of American Aquarium Societies (“FAAS”), an
additional 10 points will be awarded if the author
is a GCAS member in the year the NEC or FAAS
award is announced. This applies only to articles
(not to drawings, columns, cartoons or photos).
These bonus points are credited in the year that the
award is announced, not the year it is awarded for.
Prize Drawing
For every 5 AAP points earned in a
calendar year, the recipient is given one chance in
our “Authors/Contributors Only” Raffle.
Author of the Year
32 December 2007 Modern Aquarium - Greater City A.S. (NY)
The person with the most points in a
calendar year receives a certificate as “Author Of
The Year” for that year. This is our most
prestigious award, and the winner truly exemplifies
the high value which they place on the contribution
of experience and knowledge to the aquarium
hobby at large.
Accomplishment Levels
For the accomplishment levels specified
below, points are cumulative over the life of the
AAP program.
Author. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 to 45 pts
Correspondent. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50 to 95 pts
Writer. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100 to 145 pts
Essayist. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 150 to 195 pts
Journalist. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 200 to 295 pts
Columnist. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 300 to 495 pts
Laureate. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 500 to 745 pts
Senior Laureate. . . . . . . . . . . . . 750 to 995 pts
Master Laureate . . . . . . . . . . 1000 to 1495 pts
Grand Master Laureate. . . . . 1500 to 1995 pts
Sr. Grand Master Laureate. 2000 to 10000 pts
Editor Emeritus . . . . . . . . . . . . . over 10000 pts
Author Award Program ReportA Status Report - Points Awarded March to December 2007
Art Work
(in points)
Number of Articles Awards1 Total
Points
Prize
Author
Photo/
Drawing
(up to two
per article)2
500
words
or less 5
over
500
words 5
Bonus3
Points
Current
Year Total:
March to
December
Raffle4
Chances
Bill Amely 5 1 10 2
Sharon Barnett 2 1 30 50 10
Mario Bengcion 1 1 15 3
Brad Dickinson 10 10 2
Claudia Dickinson 40 6 6 30 160 n/a
Evelyn Eagan 1 10 2
Frank Fallon 20 1 30 6
Harry Faustmann 10 1 15 3
Joseph Ferdenzi 2 20 40 n/a
Alison Feuer 5 5 1
Warren Feuer 3 30 6
Horst Gerber 20 20 4
Joseph Graffagnino 1 10 2
Bernard Harrigan 125 9 11 120 400 80
Jason Kerner 10 10 n/a
Desiree Martin 2 1 20 4
Jerry O’Farrell 10 1 20 4
Elliot Oshins 10 2 10 40 8
Alexander Priest 95 1 7 40 250 n/a
Modern Aquarium - Greater City A.S. (NY) December 2007 33
Art Work
(in points)
Number of Articles Awards Total1
Points
Prize
Author
Photo/
Drawing
(up to two
per article)2
500
words
or less 5
over
500
words 5
Bonus3
Points
Current
Year Total:
March to
December
Raffle4
Chances
Susan Priest 10 11 50 210 n/a
Dan Radebaugh 10 2 10 40 8
Jannette Ramirez 2 10 20 4
Leonard Ramroop 1 10 2
Charley Sabatino 1 3 10 45 9
Stephen Sica 30 4 20 90 18
Jack Traub 1 10 2
Undergravel Reporter 11 20 130 26
Ed Vukich 10 10 2
Points are doubled for each article on a fish in the C.A.R.E.S. Preservation Program.1
Points are doubled for each photo or drawing of a C.A.R.E.S. fish used on the cover.2
Bonus points are awarded to participants for awards received from the Federation of American3
Aquarium Societies (FAAS) Publication Awards, and The Northeast Council of Aquarium Societies (NEC)
Article Awards, in the year these awards are announced, not in the year it is awarded for..
Modern Aquarium staff members are ineligible for the Raffle, as well as for the designation of4
“Author Of The Year.” Family members of staff ARE eligible.
Editorials and President’s Messages are excluded.5
Here are the total AAP points for all GCAS members as of December 2007. If you have questions, or feel that there are errors, please contact Al Priest.
Bill Amely. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Sharon Barnett. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120
Fred Bellise. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Mario Bengcion. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Steve Berman. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Tom Bohme. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Victoria Bohme. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Roger Brewster.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Donald Curtin. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Doug Curtin. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90
Carlotti De Jager. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Les Deutsch. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Brad Dickinson. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Claudia Dickinson. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2360
Al DiSpigna. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Pete O’Orio. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Rod Du Casse. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Evelyn Eagan. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Frank Fallon. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Harry Faustmann. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
Anita Ferdenzi. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Francesca Ferdenzi. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Joseph Ferdenzi. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1025
Michael Foran. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Artie Friedman. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Alison Feuer. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Warren Feuer. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 265
Peter Foster.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Jeff George. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115
Horst Gerber.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110
Steve Giacobello. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Joseph Graffagnino. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 150
Steve Gruebel. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Al Grusell. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Bernard Harrigan. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1625
Jason Kerner. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 130
Denver Lettman. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Rich Levy. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Bill Luckett. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
John Malinowski. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Desiree Martin. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Tom Miglio. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Jerry O'Farrell. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 205
Elliot Oshins. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 140
34 December 2007 Modern Aquarium - Greater City A.S. (NY)
Jim Peterson. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Margaret Peterson. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Alexander Priest. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1410
Susan Priest.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1380
Dan Radebaugh. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90
Jannette Ramirez. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90
Leonard Ramroop. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30*
Mark Rubanow. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Charley Sabatino. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 170
Donna Sosna Sica. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Stephen Sica. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 285
*Corrected total
Vincent Sileo. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
Danielle Soberman. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Ilyssa Soberman. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Robin Soberman. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Mark Soberman. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75
Jack Traub. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Undergravel Reporter. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 900
Anton Vukich. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Edward Vukich.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
Greg Wuest. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Editor Extraordinaireby CLAUDIA DICKINSON
Perusing the pages of Modern Aquariums past,
a smile steals over my face as I come across
familiar articles from days gone by. Fond
memories surface as shared moments with the
GCAS are captured forever in time.
It is amazing to see how many years we
have been reading some of the columns that we
still look forward to each month. “Wet Leaves”
has become an institution, “Fin Fun” has been
testing our aquatic acumen
see m in g ly fo rev e r , th e
“Undergravel Reporter” has
kept us laughing for so many
years, while the mystery
a u t h o r i s c o n s i s t e n t ly
recognized with awards for
his, her, or “its” ramblings.
Our “President’s Message” is
a mainstay that we look to for
updates on the present, as well
as a look back at the past, and
another into the future.
Beginning way back when, with a point and shoot
camera, “Looking Through the Lens” has
chronicled all of us ¯ some members who have
come and gone, and most of us who still remain.
Then, of course, with each issue there is
“The Editor’s Babblenest,” written by none other
than our Modern Aquarium Editor in Chief, Al
Priest. What great fortune it has been for the GCAS
to have Al serve in this immense role for so long,
spending ten months of each year dedicating his
time to meticulously and creatively placing
together this award winning magazine. Al and his
lovely wife, Sue, have put in countless hours to
bring us a publication that draws the largest crowd
of all at our monthly meetings!
There is no doubt that serving on the staff
of Modern Aquarium has been one of the greatest
joys in my life, and this has been made most
particularly so due to the amazing editor that we
have ~ for Al is like no other! I have often referred
to Al as the *wizard,* and that is exactly what he is
as he transforms typed documents of text into
precisely arranged and perfectly aligned pages.
Working together with
Al as Editor in Chief, and Sue
as Associate Editor, I have
gained not only the experience
of working with one of the most
exceptional editorial teams, I
have, most importantly, gained
treasured friends. Al may be
stepping aside as our Modern
Aquarium Editor, but his, and
Sue’s, cherished friendship,
along with the years of Modern
Aquariums published under
Al’s editorship, is something that shall always
remain.
A warm welcome to Dan and Marsha Radebaugh
as Dan steps up to take on the role of Modern
Aquarium Editor in Chief! Here’s to the next
decade that I have no doubt will bring as much
joy, and friendship, as the last!
Modern Aquarium - Greater City A.S. (NY) December 2007 35
American Killifish Association2008 National Convention
http://www.aka.org/convention/
American Livebearer Association2008 Annual Convention
May 1-4, 2008 San Antonio Texas
See our web site for more details: http:.www.livebearers.org
Northeast Council of Aquarium Societies2008 Annual Convention
April 11 - 13, 2008at the Marriott Hotel in Farmington, CT
Each year, the NEC Convention has a “theme” with a prize awarded to the person whosecostume most closely exemplifies that year's theme. The theme for the 2008 Conventionis: the “Pirates of the NEC.”
more details to follow
Visit the NEC website at: http://northeastcouncil.org/html/
36 December 2007 Modern Aquarium - Greater City A.S. (NY)
In spite of popular demand to the
contrary, this humor and information
column continues. As usual, it does
NOT necessarily represent the
opinions of the Editor, or of the
Greater City Aquarium Society.
Smart Fish,DumbPeople
A series by “The Undergravel Reporter”
Some recent news reports are pointing to the
conclusion that people are getting dumber, but
many animals, including fish, are a lot smarter
than we thought they were.
Smart Fish:
United Press International has reported that
Australian scientists discovered fish use the threat of
punishment to maintain stability in their social
order. Australian Research Council scientists at
James Cook University said their discovery has
implications for the entire animal kingdom,
including humans.
Studying small goby fish at Lizard Island
on Australia’s Great Barrier Reef, Marian Wong
and colleagues showed the threat of expulsion from
the group acts as a powerful deterrent to keep
subordinate fish from challenging those more
dominant than they.
In fact, the researchers discovered
subordinate fish deliberately diet to remain smaller
than their superiors — and so present no threat that
might lead to their being cast out and subsequently
perishing.
Dumb People:
According to United Press International, a
law stating that, in Liverpool, only a clerk in a
tropical fish store is allowed to be publicly topless,
was voted the third most ridiculous law in England
in a poll conducted for UKTV Gold television.
In case you’re wondering why this was
only the third most ridiculous law in England (even
if, according a spokesman for the Liverpool City
Council, this law does not exist, and is only an
urban myth that has gained some notoriety), the
English law voted the most ridiculous was one
making it illegal to die in the Houses of Parliament.
(The law voted to be the second most ridiculous is
one making it an act of treason to place a postage
stamp bearing the image of the ruling British
monarch upside down on an envelope.)
Smart Fish:
Reuters reports that the Mangrove
Rivulus, Rivulus marmoratus, a killifish from
mangrove swamps across the Americas, can
survive out of water for months at a time.
In laboratory tests, this fish was found to
be able to survive for up to 66 days out of water
without eating, and with their metabolism
functioning (that is, without estivation). When
their habitat dries up, they live on the land in logs.
No other known fish can be out of water as long as
the Mangrove Rivulus and remain active.
Surviving on land is not the only unusual
behavior exhibited by the fish. They have both
testes and ovaries, and essentially clone themselves
by laying their own (already fertilized) eggs.
Dumb People:
Hey, I enjoy my fish as much as the next
person, and sometimes I may talk aloud while
doing tank maintenance (especially if I accidentally
spill water, or can’t get a filter to restart!). But, I
don’t think that any of my fish truly appreciate my
subtle humor. However, Professor Richard
Wiseman, from the University of Hertfordshire,
who conducted a study of 2,000 owners of pets of
all kinds, declares that, “almost 60% of us are
convinced that their fishy friends have a
personality and a sense of humour.” “It may be
hard to think of fish having personality, but fish
owners insist that they do,” said Prof. Wiseman.
Based on the ratings given by their
owners, the study suggested that 62% of dogs, 57%
of fish, 48% of cats, 42% of horses, 38% of birds,
and zero per cent of reptiles had a good sense of
humor. This study also concluded that “no-one is
happier than a keeper of tropical fish.” I agree.
Smart Fish:
United Press International reports that
Logan Grosenick and his Stanford University
colleagues found that male cichlids (Astatotilapia
burtoni) were able to infer the relative dominance
of fish engaged in a series of staged fights between
pairs of unfamiliar rivals.
The researchers found the territorial fish
show rudiments of logical reasoning, and the study
suggests cichlids have the capacity for transitive
inference (the ability to deduce unknown
relationships based on knowledge of known
relationships).
Modern Aquarium - Greater City A.S. (NY) December 2007 37
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38 December 2007 Modern Aquarium - Greater City A.S. (NY)
Last Month’s Bowl Show Winners:
1) Bill Amely 2) Mario Bengcion 3) Ed Vukich
FINAL results for 2007 Season:
Ed Vukich 19; Carlotti De Jager 11; Bill Amely 10; Kin Ha 8; Mario Bengcion 8;
Artie Friedman 7; Claudia Dickinson 3; Darwin Richmond 3; Warren Feuer 1
Welcome new member:
Richard Waizman
Thanks to renewing members:
Temes Mo, Michael Henderson
G.C.A.S. HAPPENINGS
Here are meeting times and locations of some aquarium societies in the Metropolitan New York area:
GREATER CITY AQUARIUM SOCIETY
Next Meeting: March 2008
Speaker: Izzy Zwerin
Date, Location, and Speaker’s topic to be
announced. Watch our website and (for paid-
up members) your reminder postcard.
Contact: Joseph Ferdenzi (516) 484-0944
E-mail: [email protected]
Website: http://www.greatercity.org
Brooklyn Aquarium SocietyDecember 14, 2007- BAS Holiday Party
January 11, 2008 - Harry Faustmann
speaking on “Aquarium Jewels:
Killifish”
Meets the 2nd Friday of the month (except
July and August) at 7:30pm:
NY Aquarium - Education Hall
Surf Ave. at West 8th St., Brooklyn, NY
Call: BAS Events Hotline: (718) 837-4455
http://www.brooklynaquariumsociety.org
East Coast Guppy Association
Meets: 1st Thursday of each month at Alley Pond
Environmental Ctr.: 228-06 Northern Blvd. at
8:00 pm
Contact: Gene Baudier (631) 345-6399
Big Apple Guppy Club
Meets: Last Tuesday each month (except Jan.
& Feb.) at Alley Pond Environmental Ctr.:
228-06 Northern Blvd. at 7:30-10:00pm.
Contact: Donald Curtin (718) 631-0538
Long Island Aquarium SocietyDecember 14, 2007 - Holiday Party!
January 18, 2008 - Joe Yaiullo
“Setting Up Atlantis' 20,000 gallon reef
tank.”
Meets: 3rd Fridays (except July and August) at
Holtsville Park and Zoo at 8:00pm.
249 Buckley Road - Holtsville, NY
Website: http://liasonline.org/
Email: Arie Gilbert - [email protected]
Nassau County Aquarium Society
Next Meeting: January 8, 2008
Meets:2nd Tuesday of the month (except July
and August )at
Molloy College - Kellenberg Hall ~1000
Hempstead Ave - Rockville Centre, NY
Contact: Mike Foran (516) 798-6766
Website: http://www.ncasweb.org
North Jersey Aquarium Society
Next Meeting: !/17/2008 at
Meadowlands Environmental Center - One
Dekorte Plaza - Lyndhurst, NJ
Contact: NJAS Hotline at (732) 332-1392
Website: http://www.njas.net/
or e-mail: [email protected]
Norwalk Aquarium SocietyNext Meeting: December 20, 2007
Meets: 8:00 P.M. - 3rd Thursday of each
month at: Earthplace - the Nature Discovery
Center - Westport, CT
Contact: John Chapkovich (203) 734-7833
E-mail: [email protected]
Call our toll free number (866) 219-4NAS
Website: http://norwalkas.org/
Modern Aquarium - Greater City A.S. (NY) December 2007 39
Fin Fun
I’m sure you are familiar with the long-running quiz show where they give you an answer, and you have
to come up with the question. Here is a category which you will all be able to sweep, “GCAS.”
1) He supplies the members with coffee and cake at every meeting.
2) Warren Feuer, Al Priest, and Dan Radebaugh.
3) Historian, speaker, award winning author, auctioneer, and host to the board meetings.
4) January and February.
5) The Recording Secretary.
6) One for $1 and six for $5.
7) Artist/author of the “Amusing Aquarium” cartoon column.
8) ~ Daily Double ~ She is the newest enrollee in the GCAS Roll of Honor.
Solution to last month’s puzzle: Math is Fun!
1) If you have one bucket with five gallons of water, and one bucket with two gallons of water, and one
bucket with four gallons of water, how many buckets do you have? ANSWER: Three
2) How many guppies does it take to fill a ten gallon tank? ANSWER: Two
3) If you have a 90 gallon tank, and you drain out half of the water, then you add ten gallons, and then you
remove 30%, how much water do you have to add to fill up the tank?
ANSWER: Only Python Man knows for sure, and even he doesn’t care!
4) If you have a 2½ gallon tank, a 5 gallon tank, and a 10 gallon tank lined up next to each other in your
livingroom, how many gallons of water do you need to fill them all up?
ANSWER: None. Nobody keeps three empty tanks in their living room!
5) If you have a tank with half a dozen neon tetras, 8 white clouds, and an oscar, how many fish do you
have? ANSWER: One.
40 December 2007 Modern Aquarium - Greater City A.S. (NY)